FEATURE REPORT/ ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

‘When New York City tried to ban cars – the extraordinary story of ‘Gridlock Sam”Authored by Aaron M Renn

The public plaza and bike lanes now found throughout New York City have affectionately become known to detractors as the “war on cars.” But amazingly, a 1973 plan got very, very close to banning cars in Manhattan outright, thanks to a man known as “Gridlock Sam.” Over at The Guardian, Aaron Renn profiles Sam Schwartz, a former New York City traffic commissioner. Schwartz is somewhat of a legend in city-nerd circles and remains an authoritative voice on transportation issues. But in the early 1970s, he was just an engineer in the traffic department who put together a proposal to clean and green what was not a very livable New York City at the time.

ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THE WEEK

The Report unequivocally demonstrates that the current urbanization model is unsustainable in many respects, puts many people at risk, creates unnecessary costs, negatively affects the environment, and is intrinsically unfair. It conveys a clear message that the pattern of urbanization needs to change in order to better respond to the challenges of our time, to address issues such as inequality, climate change, informality, insecurity, and the unsustainable forms of urban expansion.

VIDEO/ PODCAST OF THE WEEK

‘Urban Network Analysis’Created by City Form Lab

This video introduces Urban Network Analysis concepts that are implemented in the City Form Lab’s Urban Network Analysis Toolbox for ArcGIS. It demonstrates how new data and analysis approaches not only transform the way we think about cities in comparison to each other, but also improve our understanding of urban environments at the fine urban design scale.